Episode #104 : Destiny of the Daleks

"If you're supposed to be the superior race of the universe, why don't you try climbing after us?"

Episode 104: Destiny of the Daleks.
Companions: 4th Doctor, K9 and Romana.
Air Date:       Four episodes. 1st to 22nd September1979.

The Doctor and a newly-regenerated Romana arrive on Skaro and discover that the Daleks are using explosive charges and a group of humanoid slave workers to mine the planet in search of their creator, Davros. A stalemate has arisen in an interplanetary war that the Daleks are waging against the robotic Movellans, and their hope is that Davros will be able to give them the edge.

This was the very first Doctor Who story I'd ever seen. I remember watching it with my father when I was little. I never hid behind the sofa but I do remember closing my eyes tight whenever a Dalek appeared on the screen.

In Destiny of the Daleks we are reintroduced to the Daleks and Davros. We are also introduced to the Movellans, a race of robot conquerors who are locked into a stalemate space conflict with the Daleks. The Daleks seek their creator to give them a means to think out side of the box, and the Movellans seek to stop them at all costs. Problem is, the Movellans are also locked into a sense of logic. It's a pretty good story and definitely worth watching.

Davros is revealed not to be dead as we thought at the end of Genesis of the Daleks, and instead has been in a sense of suspended animation cause by his chair device. The BBC were unable to acquire the same actor for the role as last time and the replacement doesn't quite manage to pull off the role as well.

The Movellans are a neat idea as an enemy of the Daleks who aren't humans. Other than a reference here and then, unfortunately they are not seen again as of this review. I think a reappearance could be quite a nice idea for the new series and how they fit into the Time War arc.

As I mentioned in the prior review we have a new Romana in this story, played by Lalla Ward. No reason is given for her regeneration and it simply appears to be a vanity thing. She also seems able to pick and choose a form rather than get what is given to her. This is never explained. As much as I liked Mary Tamm, Lalla Ward take the role immediately and makes it her own. Having a reason for the regeneration would have made the story better though.

Destiny of the Daleks sets up the future stories that feature Davros. It is an excellent story and the Doctor's odd sense of humour as returned. Well worth hunting down for a watch.